Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to appoint a standalone minister of aboriginal affairs as part of his new cabinet tomorrow, giving greater profile to native issues in a time of escalating land disputes, occupations and deteriorating infrastructure on some Ontario reserves.

A Liberal source familiar with the announcement told The Canadian Press that Mr. McGuinty will make good on his promise to have a separate Aboriginal Affairs ministry, complete with its own minister, as recommended by the recent Ipperwash inquiry.

This is the final story in a five-part series by Candy Palmater. It explored the Mi’kmaq nation specifically and matters affecting aboriginal people in general and ran in ­The Daily News every Monday of Mi’kmaq History Month this October. This week: Nova Scotia in 2007.

As Mi’kmaq History Month draws to a close, so too does this special series on aboriginal matters. This ?nal column is a personal re?ection on being Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia in 2007.

This week the provincial candidates strutted their stuff at the FSIN Chiefs’ assembly. It was a far cry from the acrimonious reports in the media. The three leaders were allowed equal time to present their platforms on First Nations and then had to sit patiently as the chiefs asked a series of questions.

It was probably one of the least partisan events they will experience on the campaign trail. Questions dealt with local concerns, resource revenue sharing, consultation and the provincial gaming agreement. There weren’t any partisan remarks, cheerleading or undue criticism. It was an excellent display of the political maturity of our leaders.

Harvesting and selling timber according to Forest Stewardship Council standards is benefiting a First Nations-owned logging company, says an Ecotrust Canada spokesman.

Mike Vitt, a forestry program manager for Ecotrust Canada, told the Clayoquot Sound Central Region Board last week that Iisaak Forest Products should have a record year in terms of profitability, and the company is now selling timber into Port Alberni, Parksville and Vancouver.

Prepare for more mukking about
A fashion line that donates part of its profits to Aboriginals is readying for its second act

ANNE KINGSTON | October 29, 2007 |

Muks, the London-based fashion line that owes its existence to a paparazzi shot of Kate Moss wearing Native Canadian footgear, is readying for its second act. Its first, as anyone with passing familiarity with the gossip rags knows, was the celebrity-fuelled elevation of mukluks to must-haves. Now, the most brilliant branding exercise since Evian is priming to bring First Nations-inspired chic to the fashion-forward.

TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to appoint a minister responsible solely for Ontario’s aboriginal affairs portfolio, Liberal sources said on the eve of the new cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.

First Nations leaders and opposition parties widely criticized McGuinty in June when he created the stand-alone aboriginal affairs ministry but did not expand his cabinet to fill the post. Instead, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay was tapped to lead the new portfolio — raising the ire of native leaders who perceived a potential for conflict between a minister responsible for regulating Crown lands while addressing aboriginal issues.

TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to appoint a stand-alone minister of aboriginal affairs as part of his new cabinet Tuesday, giving greater profile to native issues in a time of escalating land disputes, occupations and deteriorating infrastructure on some Ontario reserves.

A Liberal source familiar with the announcement told The Canadian Press that McGuinty will make good on his promise to have a separate Aboriginal Affairs Ministry, complete with its own minister, as recommended by the recent Ipperwash inquiry.

GRANDE PRAIRIE — Aboriginal leaders in Alberta have told a company that’s proposing to build a nuclear power plant in the northern part of the province they don’t like the idea.

About 40 delegates from the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs of Alberta were in Grande Prairie for a forum with representatives from industry, government and other sectors to explore social, economic and environmental issues.

Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to appoint a stand-alone minister of aboriginal affairs as part of his new cabinet Tuesday, giving greater profile to native issues in a time of escalating land disputes, occupations and deteriorating infrastructure on some Ontario reserves.

A Liberal source familiar with the announcement told The Canadian Press that McGuinty will make good on his promise to have a separate Aboriginal Affairs Ministry, complete with its own minister, as recommended by the recent Ipperwash inquiry.

ALBERTA – Aboriginal leaders in Alberta have told a company that’s proposing to build a nuclear power plant in the northern part of the province that they don’t like the idea.

About 40 delegates from the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs of Alberta were in Grande Prairie for a forum with representatives from industry, government and other sectors to explore social, economic and environmental issues.

TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty is expected to appoint a minister responsible solely for Ontario’s aboriginal affairs portfolio, Liberal sources said on the eve of the new cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.

First Nations leaders and opposition parties widely criticized McGuinty in June when he created the stand-alone aboriginal affairs ministry but did not expand his cabinet to fill the post. Instead, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay was tapped to lead the new portfolio — raising the ire of native leaders who perceived a potential for conflict between a minister responsible for regulating Crown lands while addressing aboriginal issues.

Abundance of freshwater ‘a myth’
Threats to drinking supplies are real and many, new group says in report to be released today

BILL CURRY
October 26, 2007

OTTAWA — The “myth” of freshwater abundance in this country should be abandoned by Canadians and their governments, warns a report from an expert panel recommending radical action to protect the nation’s drinking water.

The newly formed Gordon Water Group, which describes itself as an organization of scientists, lawyers, policy experts and former senior government policy advisers led by the Sierra Club of Canada, is releasing the 55-page call to action today.

TORONTO — A remote First Nations community in northern Ontario said yesterday it can’t afford to continue its legal fight with the province and the mining firm Platinex because the Crown and the company have tried to bankrupt the aboriginals by prolonging proceedings.

The Kitchenuhmayboosib Inninuwug First Nation has already spent $700,000 on legal fees, spokesperson John Cutfeet said.

The safety of Canadians is at risk because convicts leaving prison are increasingly likely to reoffend, thanks to a cash-strapped federal prison system that fails to deliver the programs inmates need to reintegrate into society, according to a new government report on the Correctional Service.

Colleges tending to the needs of Aboriginal learners in Canada have found a common thread.

During Day 2 of the second-annual Strategies for Meeting the Educational Needs of Aboriginal Learners in Rural and Remote Communities, representatives from colleges across the country gathered to discuss their own specific needs only to find out things weren’t much different elsewhere.

Aboriginal groups say they do not have the money to properly participate in the public inquiry into the death of Frank Paul, a native man who died of exposure after he was dumped in an alley by police.

Paul, 48, died on Dec. 6, 1998, after he was dragged from Vancouver police cells and propped up in the downtown alley, where he succumbed to hypothermia.

The leaders of the three main political parties in Saskatchewan strutted their stuff this week at the FSIN chiefs’ assembly and it was a far cry from the acrimony reported in the media.

The leaders were allowed equal time to present their platform on First Nations issues and then had to sit patiently as the chiefs asked a series of questions. It was probably one of the less partisan events they will experience on the campaign trail.

Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl has accepted a controversial recommendation to reject a company’s bid to explore for uranium in the Northwest Territories’ Upper Thelon basin.

Chuck Strahl announced earlier this week that he accepts the findings of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, which conducted the environmental assessment of Ur-Energy Inc.’s proposal.

NATUASHISH, N.L. — An official with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada says he believes life is improving in the Labrador community of Natuashish, despite recent comments suggesting the Innu reserve is sinking into chaos.

Mark Davis of the department’s Atlantic region office said Wednesday he will be in Natuashish this week to meet with community leaders and other federal officials to address both new and on-going issues in the relocated community.

SASKATOON — Tough talk on First Nations issues has pitted Liberal Leader David Karwacki against First Nations, who say he is attempting to trample on their treaties.

“With all due respect to Mr. Karwacki, he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about,” said Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Lawrence Joseph. “These are matters protected by the treaties and I will accept his challenge to try imposing his ideas any day.”

The provincial government should and will consult with aboriginal people when policy changes and industrial development could affect them and their land, the three main political party leaders said Wednesday.

First Nations people should have a “level playing field” when the province is negotiating with potential resource developers, Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall told hundreds assembled in Saskatoon for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) fall legislative assembly.

A federal government pledge last week to introduce legislation dealing with specific land claims has made Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Lawrence Joseph optimistic that 93 outstanding claims can finally be settled.

“I’m very encouraged, chiefs, that for the first time ever in the 40 years or so that I’ve served in the public, that I’ve actually heard the government say, ‘We need the First Nations to help us develop a policy to implement treaty,’ ” Joseph told the FSIN’s legislative assembly on Wednesday.

OTTAWA — The Metis National Council’s future is in doubt after the federal government cut off new funding talks amid a nasty leadership dispute.

Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said yesterday his department “cannot enter into any new funding arrangements” with the council “until it is able to comply with the court order of electing a new national president.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to unveil a marine conservation park on the rugged and pristine northern shore of Lake Superior.

The Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area has been in the works for 10 years with Parks Canada. It will be the first such area designated under the Marine Conservation Areas Act, passed several years ago under the Liberal government.

PATRICK BRETHOUR
With a report from The Canadian Press
October 25, 2007

VANCOUVER — Aboriginal land claims have halted the federal government’s sale of two landmark buildings in downtown Vancouver, but Ottawa is disposing of seven other buildings for a slightly reduced price tag of $1.4-billion.

The Musqueam Indian band obtained a temporary injunction late last month that froze the sale of the Sinclair Centre and another large office and retail complex on Burrard Street, both in the heart of Vancouver’s business district.

MEADOW LAKE — Politicians call it “door knocking,” but after an exhausting day of door-to-door electioneering, Jeremy Harrison could well be saying a silent thank you to the inventor of the door bell.

Raw knuckles are the last thing any candidate needs during the mid-stage of an expected tight election in this northwest Saskatchewan community. Harrison, the former Conservative MP for Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, and now the Saskatchewan Party hopeful here for the Nov. 7 election, must still feel the sting over his razor-thin 67-vote loss to Liberal Gary Merasty in the 2006 federal election.

OTTAWA — The Public Service Alliance of Canada and opposition MPs are urging the federal government to call off the $1.4-billion sale of seven federal office buildings after Ottawa pulled two others out of the transaction at the last minute.

The two Vancouver buildings the Conservatives withdrew from the sale are on disputed aboriginal lands and the move prompted the union and opposition critics alike to call on the government to abandon the plan altogether.

The Tsawwassen First Nation treaty passed second reading in the B.C. legislature Wednesday evening, bringing the historic deal one step closer to becoming a reality.

Sixty-two MLAs voted in favour of the treaty, with support coming from both sides of the aisle.
Only three MLAs voted against the deal, all of them Liberals: Daniel Jarvis (North Vancouver-Seymour), Blair Lekstrom (Peace River South) and Dennis MacKay (Bulkley Valley-Stikine).

OTTAWA – The Metis National Council’s future is in doubt after the federal government cut off new funding talks amid a nasty leadership dispute.

Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said Wednesday his department “cannot enter into any new funding arrangements” with the council “until it is able to comply with the court order of electing a new national president.”

Around 180 members of the Tlicho aboriginal government in the Northwest Territories are meeting in a special assembly Wednesday in an attempt to resolve a leadership dispute in the region.

The assembly, which began around 3 p.m. MT Wednesday in Behchoko, has brought together elders and other citizens from all four communities in the Tlicho territory to have their say on the current internal strife that has pitted Grand Chief George Mackenzie against three of the Tlicho’s four chiefs.

Chief complains Ontario treats Golden Eagle casino unfairly
The Ontario government is discriminating against the Golden Eagle Casino by not allowing it to have slot machines and card games like other charity casinos, Chief Ken Skead of the Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation said Tuesday.

By The Canadian Press
Wednesday October 24, 2007

TORONTO — The Ontario government is discriminating against the Golden Eagle Casino by not allowing it to have slot machines and card games like other charity casinos, Chief Ken Skead of the Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation said Tuesday.

Auditor asked to probe Jordan River deal
UVic law clinic leads charge to scrutinize government decision to hand ‘windfall’ by Western Forest Products

Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Clinic has asked the provincial auditor general to investigate the government’s decision to allow Western Forest Products to take private lands out of tree farm licences on Vancouver Island without public consultation and without demanding compensation.

TORONTO — Officials have largely ignored the findings of a hard-hitting report into the treatment of aboriginals in Canadian jails, and some conditions have worsened, a federal watchdog says.

Ed McIsaac, executive director of the Office of the Correctional Investigator, says there has been no improvement in conditions for native prisoners despite his office’s damning report, which said they routinely face discrimination. Aboriginals, including Indians, Metis and Inuit, now account for 20 per cent of federal inmates, up from 18.5 per cent last year, when the report came out. The groups represent just three per cent of the population.

Canada’s vote against a United Nations declaration of aboriginal rights was an “astonishing” move for a country that claims to be a model of tolerance and diversity, says UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour.

“I have to register my profound disappointment,” the former Supreme Court justice told a conference Monday organized by the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Stephen Harper government lacks the political will to end child poverty in Canada

Edited by John Stokes

Over Fifteen years ago the House of Commons unanimously resolved to “seek to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000.” In the midst of a growing economy more than one million children, or nearly one child in six, still live in poverty in Canada.

The solutions are well-known. The Harper government is oriented to principally serve large Billion dollar corporation associated with the U.S. Bush administration sponsored North American Competitiveness Council (NAU), and military elites who seek more Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Harper government lacks the political will to redress poverty in Canada, or child poverty in particular.